


One Day, Maybe

by ILiveForSubtext



Series: What Was Left Undone [2]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-13 00:04:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2129487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ILiveForSubtext/pseuds/ILiveForSubtext
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Xena's thoughts stick with Darius and his children after leaving them and their peaceful life behind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Day, Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> I think a bit of explanation is in order before we get started. Time and time again I’ve started watching Xena and stopped, not because I didn’t like it but because I adored it so much I dreaded the day there would be no new Xena to fall back on.
> 
> I’ve decided to watch the show in its entirety, finally. In order to delay the inevitable lack of content in my future I’ve decided to have some fun with it: I will write a post-episode fanfic for every episode after I watch it. I’ve been so steeped in the fandom that I have a basic idea of the future story but really not much beyond that, so I think it will be fun to create post-episode tangents as things go along, before my mind is bogged down by canon that might make some of my ideas impossible.
> 
> So that is what you have found. This fic is a standalone fic that takes place after Chariots of War. My fics may range from fluff to PWP as time goes on, but all will be Xena/Gabrielle and most will be a reflection on events of the previous episode, with no new plot introduced. Some will be short, some will be long. I hope you enjoy.

The wine wasn't the best, but it was warm and wet and nice to look at as Xena stared into her cup, deep in thought and possibly a bit in her cups. She wasn't one to drink heavily very frequently but lately she'd been finding her nights a bit easier to stomach with that stomach full of wine.

Gabrielle sat across the rough wooden table with her own mug, almost untouched. "I'm not much of a drinker," Gabrielle had pointed out, but ordered one along with Xena just the same. Xena smirked at the thought; as independent as the young bard was she often would find her trying to mirror her own actions and act more like the warrior she followed than the farm girl she was. Now Gabrielle sat across from her, eyes making rounds from her full mug, to Xena's face, then around the shoddy tavern they'd found themselves in this night for a bit of rest and warm food on the road.

"Do you ever think you'll have any?" Xena asked suddenly before taking another swig from her cup.

"Wine? Yeah, see, I've drank like three whole swallows," Gabrielle motioned towards the cup in front of her, accidentally knocking it and sloshing a bit out on the table, causing Xena to smirk.

"No. Kids." She set her empty mug down pointedly, grabbing Gabrielle's away and starting in on it as well. She wasn't usually one for this sort of talk, especially with the exuberant bard so unlike herself, but her mind had been tumbling for days with the thoughts that it was about time to get them out.

"Kids? Oh, uh, I don't know," Gabrielle reached into the saddlebags unceremoniously piled on the table and pulled out a skin of water to replace her relinquished mug, "My parents wanted me to marry Perdicas and have lots of kids, probably take over the farm, you know, sweet innocent farm life, nothing like us."

"No, nothing like us."

"I mean, yeah, maybe, I guess," Gabrielle rambled on, "But I mean, there's so much adventure out there, you know? So many amazing things to do and people to meet and stories to tell. Hard to do that with a bunch of kids. I can't just live on a farm in Potidaea my entire life."

"And when you've told all your stories?"

"Xena, come on, you know me. Will I ever run out of stories to tell?" Gabrielle's glowing smile was met with another smirk from Xena, "Why, you're not trying to hook me up with someone, are you?" she joked, "My father tried that and look where I am now. If you start I might have to find another warrior princess to run off with."

"Never," Xena chuckled and downed the remaining wine.

Gabrielle was quiet for a moment, watching Xena watch her, before finally deciding to go for it, "What about you, Xena?"

Xena looked away quietly, wondering if perhaps she shouldn't have started this conversation in the first place. Since leaving Darius and his children behind in their peaceful village she'd found herself thinking back to the sweet children. They didn't see a marauding warrior who had killed families, burned houses, destroyed precious lives wherever she went. They saw a woman, someone that could be their mother. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat, "I'm not much of a family person." It wasn't really a lie if she said it like that, right? Regardless, this was getting into dangerous territory. She stood, a bit unsteadily, and swayed a bit, but far less than most men who'd matched her drink for drink might, and dropped a few dinars on the table to pay for their meals and drinks, "I'm going to go check on Argo. Get some rest."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to come with you? I could be your designated walker. I'm really good at walking," the bard's light-hearted demeanor took on a sense of worry as she watched Xena stumble a bit towards the door.

With a dismissive wave Xena quelled Gabrielle's objections and stepped out into the night, comfortably cool on her wine-warmed skin, and walked with an ever-so-slight sway towards the shoddy "stable" erected at the back of the tavern.

Argo nickered a greeting as she approached before turning back to the hay. Xena scratched the horse's neck affectionately, lost in thought. She liked kids. Kids seemed to like her, the ones that weren't afraid of her, anyways. And the life Darius and his famly led did seem so peaceful and happy. So peaceful she doubted she would ever be allowed to lead one such as that; not her, not the great warrior Xena. She sighed, patting Argo, "One day, maybe. When everything is done and there are no more stories about me to be told," she whispered to the content horse before walking back to the tavern to rejoin Gabrielle.


End file.
